Rebecca Romijn Reflects On Playing Trans Character on ‘Ugly Betty’: ‘Never Would Be Cast In The Role Today’

Rebecca Romijn is looking back on her three-season run as Alexis Meade on ABC’s Ugly Betty.

If you recall, the now 50-year-old Star Trek: Strange Worlds actress played Alexis, the transgender sister of Eric Mabius‘ Mode EIC Daniel Meade.

In a new interview, Rebecca remembered “jumping” at the chance to play the character, but also knows it wouldn’t have been if Ugly Betty was cast today.

Speaking to The Independent, Rebecca says ABC executives weren’t actually loving the character – until she was attached.

“The executives at the time didn’t love the idea of the character,” she recalled. “There was a real boys’ club running the show behind the scenes at that point. So to try and make it palatable to the boys’ club… they pitched me. And I jumped at the chance.”

Rebecca knows she’d never “be cast in that role today, but I do feel like it helped open doors for the trans community. I’d like to think that, anyway. I don’t want to pat myself on the back too much.”

“I really wanted to do that character justice – and make her as hot as possible,” Rebecca said about her objective.

The role seemed to be one of the first representations of transgenders on television, years before Michaela Jae Rodriguez was recognized for her work in Pose.

If you missed it, watch the latest teaser for Star Trek: Strange Worlds season 2!